Love Never Dies
by thefaultinourducks
Summary: Kayde Cathel is just a normal girl in a normal world, other than the fact that she's living in Hades with her dad Hades. She leads a reasonably normal life in Hell until her 15th birthday, when she receives a gift that will change her life... and possibly Nick's. Who is the mysterious boy she stumbles into, and why is he in Hades?
1. Chapter 1

I wake up to streams of ghoulish, sickly green rays of light streaming through my ebony window frame, leaking through the black curtains and into my squinting eyes. Screams of pain and agony act as my alarm clock each and every morning, although, since I don't go to school, I don't really appreciate the wake up call. Sure, call me an ingrate, but how would you like it if every day, yes, that includes weekends, you wake up to howls of the tortured souls surrounding your house?

Yeah, you heard me. _Tortured souls._ Outside of my _house._ Maybe it would help you understand if you got to know me better. My name is Kaydence Cathel, but I prefer to be called Kayde. Some hobbies I enjoy are drawing, sketching, singing, tanning and reading on the banks of the River Styx, and horseback riding. Of course, the horses I ride are skeletal...

So, yeah. My name's Kayde, or Kayden, both short for Kaydence, and I live in Hades. You know, the Greek underworld? Yep, that's the one. I'm what you would call a demigod, but I'm kind of an exception. Most demigods live in the mortal world, running for their lives, getting slaughtered by mythical monsters, and dying in unusual, painful, and cruel ways. But sadly I have to miss out on all of those fun activities. My mom, Cecile, died of a heart attack when I was merely a toddler, so my dad swooped in and decided to save me from a life of foster parentage and running from home to home. But the life I have now is... Well, in a word, unique.

My dad, who had completely ignored me until my mother died, was Hades, King of the Underworld, ruler and punisher of all despicable souls, etc., etc. So that meant I had to come down to the underworld, where the only people to socialize with are _dead_ people and my dad's servants, who are, big surprise, dead.

That's pretty much my life so far. A teenage girl stuck in the gloomy underworld, with nothing to do but watch shadowy souls graze the Fields of Asphodel. Not exactly movie worthy, is it? No thrilling journeys, no sensational quests, no real _fun._

I decide to get my lazy arse up and out of bed. Sitting up, I rub my eyes and shake off my charcoal sheets and step onto my gray carpeted floor. Another downside of living in Hades: everything is in shades of black and white. Yipee. Sarcasm intended. With my mental complaints pushed aside, I continue my daily morning routine. I take in my reflection in the mirror. Unkempt dark chocolate curls cascade down my shoulders, stopping near the bottom of my spine. My olive skin was tan from hours of basking in the ghoulish green rays of artificial sunlight on the rocky banks of the Styx. Eyes the color of amber stare back at me with a fierceness that only a girl raised alongside a bunch of monsters would have. My 5' 6" body was fragile looking, but I was actually stronger than some of my dad's soldiers.

"Gah!" I grunted as my charcoal cardigan caught on my tangled hair, sending me stumbling blindly around my room, finally collapsing on my bed again. I take the time it takes to detangle myself from my shirt (wow, I never thought I would have to say _that_) to loosely schedule my plans for the day. Gasping faintly, I remember what tomorrow is.

Tomorrow was my fifteenth birthday, and my dad always gave me some kind of gift that gave me another way to interact with things in the underworld. For example, for my thirteenth birthday I got my very own horse. She was the dead soul of this really fast race horse who was murdered by her owner. For my tenth birthday I got an actual _living guinea pig!_ He, well, he died of the poison in the air... That wasn't my best birthday. Is it possible to be anxious about something that will almost surely end up being a disaster? Because, if it is, that is precisely the emotional state I am currently in.

After a couple of silent minutes spent pondering what my father would decide to bestow upon me tomorrow, I get up and trudge quietly outside after stopping to greet my dad. The landscape was as gloomy as could be, with its glowering mountains, artificial green skies, and black clouds of poison air that hang over the hills of dead grass that the shades, more commonly know as souls or spirits, roamed day after endless day. _That reminds me, _I recall. _I planned a picnic today! _

I run back inside of my fathers mansion, into the kitchen, and grab my picnic basket and cloth from the island counter. Then I sprint back to the Fields of Asphodel and jump the barbed wire fence, a skill I had mastered in my twelve years in Hell.

It isn't hard to find my hiding spot. The great oak tree I refer to as my escape is one of the few trees that has survived the rough conditions of Hades, and out of all of them, it is obviously the tallest and most lucious. I go through my lunch routine, swinging the table cloth over my shoulder and hanging the basket on a branch as I boost myself up onto the tallest tree branch. Crouching, I spread the table cloth out so it's covering almost the entire branch. Finally, I can relax.

Normally the silence is soothing, but it almost seems too quiet, as if the it were holding its breath in anticipation. A rustling in the tree alerts me of another presence. I decide that I need to find out what is spying on me.

So, in conclusion, I threw a twig at the other side of the tree. The results were catastrophic.

First, I heard a yelp, then saw and heard the loud crash as a blur of black tumbled through the branches of the tree and thudded onto the ground.

Quick as lightning, I swing to ground to catch sight of the intruder before they can escape. But what I saw, laying on the ground gasping for breathe, changed my life forever in a matter of seconds.

**Okay HI GUYS! I'm Becca and my editor/beta is Megan and we are... THEFAULTINOURDUCKS! okay, anyways, please don't hate on us just because it isn't a traditional fanfiction. I know that it's normally supposed to be about the ACTUAL book characters but... whatever. My fanfiction, my rules. LOVE YOU (PERCY)!**

**~thefaultinourducks~**

_**This fanfiction is brought **_

_**to you by: PJO&Co **_


	2. Chapter 2: Mystery Boy

It's a boy. An actual, living, _breathing,_ boy, with real blood running through his veins. _Here._ In the _underworld_. The initial shock of meeting another living creature froze me in my place, and I stared at him, barely breathing.

He seemed to finally recollect his breath, and stood up. Bits of dirt and dry grass cling to his leather jacket and jeans, fluttering to the ground as he shook them off. I take a moment to take in his appearance.

Underneath his jacket he wears a plain black tee shirt that hugs his front, highlighting his muscles. His black jeans and converse are so worn out, they look like they're about to fall apart. Gathering my courage, I manage to lift my gaze to his face. The newcomer has tan olive skin, that contrasts with his striking, sapphire blue eyes, and dark brown hair.

I've heard rumors that eyes are the gateway to the soul, but I never truly believed it until this very moment. His eyes are the most beautiful sight I have ever come upon, as clear and blue as the Caribbean Sea. When his gaze meets mine, I freeze.

His gaze sweeps across me, no doubt observing myself just as I was doing to him seconds before. The feeling of someone analyzing me with such cold eyes makes me feel vulnerable, a feeling I haven't felt since I was five. He seems friendly enough, though...

Then he looks as though he's snatched out of a daydream and brought back to reality. His eyes crystallize to ice, any friendliness trapped inside the beautiful glaciers.

"What the heck was that for?" He demands. "Do you go around knocking people out of trees as a hobby?" This leaves me in a momentary state of shock, but I recover quickly.

"No, I'm not some creep like you that goes around spying on people!" I huff.

"I wasn't spying!"

"Oh really? Then what exactly _were_ you doing?"

"I... Um... Well, you see, it's actually a really funny story..." He starts hesitantly. I roll my eyes at him, obviously not convinced. "Okay, fine, maybe I was spying a little bit!"

"And why would that be?" I smirk. Man, for being out of practice for over ten years, I'm pretty good at being sarcastic!

"Uhhhh..."

"_Spit it out already!"_

_"Okay! _I saw a _girl _running towards this tree and it made me curious as to why there was someone down here with a bunch of dead people." He paused for a breath before glancing at me slyly. "And the fact that this _girl _was breathtakingly beautifuldidn't exactly help my curiosity."

I think I momentarily may have stopped breathing. Having lived in Hell for the majority of my life, I've never been flirted with. I never expected anyone to flirt with me, and as a result, my cheekbones catch fire.

The mystery boy notices my flushed face and laughs. "Oh, sorry, did you think I was talking about you? No, no, I was referring to that smokin' hot shade babe over there." He starts to walk over to the nearest shade. "Well, hello there, darling, why don't you and me go to my place and have a little fun tonight?" The shade shrieks, floating away.

He walks back looking disappointed. I slap him upside the head as soon as my laughter subsides. "That was a male shade, you doofus."

"Oh." His eyebrows furrow. Oh, my gods he looks so adorable when he does that! Wait, teenage hormones speaking, please ignore that. "Well, just so you know, I'm straight." He finishes with a wink.

This may sound crazy, but I feel like I've know this boy for my whole life. I feel like I could tell him anything. (**Cue Carly Rae Jepsen **_**Call Me Maybe) **_"Oh really?" I raise an eyebrow. Gods, those eyes are so beautiful...

"Mm-hmm," he murmurs stepping closer to me. "Most definitely straight." One step. "Because," he adds, with two more slow steps toward me. "I am finding myself extremely attracted to a certain _girl_ I met a few moments ago."

My breathing hitches. He is so close I can feel his warm breath on my face. I have to look up to meet his eyes, those gosh darn beautiful blue eyes that are gazing at me with a blazing fire in them that is so... Um, forget I said that. Again. "Can I assume that this time you aren't referring to that male shade you scared off?"

"Yes." He leans down, his lips centimeters from mine, so close yet much too far away. Our lips brush, and I feel a pleasant shock from the contact that sends a shiver down my spine. Just a little closer...

"_KAYDENCE!"_

I hiss quietly under my breath. My father. I must have been gone for over an hour and he had come to look for me. Snapping back to my senses, I shove Mystery Boy towards the tree. "Hurry! Father will kill you if he sees you!" His eyes widen at my statement and he scrambles hurriedly up the tree.

I smooth my hair and clothes down and wear a placid expression as my father storms down the hill. " Hello Father."

* * *

**CHACHACHACHABREAKDANCELINEBREAKCHACHACHACONGALINEIMCRAYCRAYHE**

* * *

"Kaydence, what in the world caused you to be half an hour late for dinner? I was worried sick!" I resist the urge to roll my eyes. _Sure_ he was. He couldn't care less where I am and what I'm doing. Alas, I act innocent.

"I am truly sorry, Father. I was here reading and having a picnic by myself and I fell asleep. It was an honest mistake." I bat my eyelashes for good measure. A snort of laughter is quickly smothered in the branches above me. I grit my teeth, hoping my father doesn't hear it. He eyes the tree suspiciously, but brings his gaze back to mine, sighing.

"Alright, you are forgiven. Since tomorrow is your birthday, I will ignore your mishap this one time." He smiles at me. "Gather up your picnic and be home in fifteen minutes. Don't be late."

"Yes, Father."

He walks away, and I wait until his form disappears before sighing and telling Mystery Boy to come down. He does so, but unlike last time, he does so without falling.

"I didn't know your name was Kaydence," he observes. "And tomorrow's your birthday?"

I nod. "I prefer to be called Kayde or Kayden, though. And tomorrow is my birthday, yes." I pause. "I never did learn your name..?"

He slaps himself on the forehead. "I'm such an idiot! My name's Nick Thatcher."

_Kayden Thatcher... Has a ring to it, _I think.

"Oh, my gods I did not just think that!"

"Think what?" Mystery B- _Nick_ asks, smirking.

I just said that out loud.

"_Can this get anymore mortifying?_"

"Yes, apparently it can."

I'm just going to stop thinking now.

Once again my face is flushed from embarrassment. I look over at Nick to find him laughing so hard he's doubled over. My embarrassment slips away as I catch his contagious laughter and grin as I laugh with him.

I haven't laughed or smiled this much in years.

What is this boy doing to me?

**Hey guys! sorry for not updating, i had serious writers block. Thanks so so much to my beta Megan for helping! and to my few readers, who (or whom idk&idc) I love so so much! Okay I have to go but hope you enjoyed this short little chapter!**

**-thefaulinourducks-**


	3. Chapter 3

"Kaydence."

"Father." He sighs.

"I am sorry for my outburst earlier, I just don't want to lose you, like- like your mother." He grimaces at the mention of my mom.

"You aren't going to lose me, father. The only thing that could possibly happen to me is, well, falling into the Styx, getting crushed by Sisyphus' boulder, getting eaten alive by a harpy... Should I continue?" I ask with a small smile. Father shakes his head and tells me I'm just like my mother before leaving the dinner table. Apparently he has 'business' to attend to. More like moping around and hating on my uncle, Zeus.

After dinner is my free time (yes, even more of it...), so I went to go find Nick. What, did you think I was just going to let the only human acquaintance I had ever made slip through my fingers? Yeah, not going to happen.

I run to the Fields of Asphodel and spot Nick leaning against the trunk of the oak tree. He must have heard my footsteps because he glances up, and his alluring eyes lock with mine. I nearly fall on my face as I trip over a rock that must have made its way into my path as I was ogling at Nick's eyes.

'_Stupid rock,' _I think bitterly, _'Stupid, entrancing, amazing blue eyes...'_

Nick is still gazing at me as I slide down the tree, sitting next to him. "I know that look," he says to me, "you're thinking about something, aren't you?"

"No, I'm just purposely having my mind go blank. Of course I'm thinking, what person doesn't?"

He sighs. "You know what I mean. What are you thinking about?" My face begins to tint pink. _You, you, you, you YOU, _is all that is running through my head.

"Nothing." My voice breaks halfway through the lie. Nick grins at me. Before I can comprehend what's happening, he swings his leg over mine so that he's straddling my hips. I suck in a breath, he's so close, too close, but not close enough...

"You're thinking about _me_, aren't you?" He teases, still sporting that silly lopsided grin on his face.

"If you don't wipe that smug smile off your face, I'll do it for you," I warn. His grin is replaced by a smirk, matched with playful lust in his eyes.

"Fine by me, although I would prefer you do it with your lips." I gape at him, shocked, as he leans in a few inches. "Why don't we pick up from where we were earlier?" He questions softly, gazing into my eyes. My mind blanks, and I have no response, so I decide to wing it.

I lean in and firmly press my lips to his.

**um. HAI. *hides behind rock that Kayde tripped on* PLZ DON'T KILL ME OMG I'M SORRY! But really, I am sorry I haven't updated in forever, and that this chapter is super, super, super short. (its kinda a filler chapter to tell the story line and the fact that i'm not dead lol) I've been traveling, dealing with friend drama, and starting school and I just haven't gotten to it! I promise I will update again soon, and that it will be longer. SORRY AGAIN! LOVE YOU GUYS! (OMG I LOVE NICK! THAT WHOLE PART WHERE HE STRADDLED KAYDE'S HIPS :* *THE BETA* AKA MEG)**

**~thefaultinourducks~**


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